Icy Worlds

Astrobiology at the Water-Rock Interface

What is Astrobiology?

Astrobiology at the Water-Rock Interface

Astrobiology is the study of the origin, evolution, distribution, and future of life in the universe. Astrobiologists address three fundamental questions: How does life begin and evolve? Is there life elsewhere in the universe? What is the future of life on Earth and beyond?

Icy moons in our solar system are some of the places astrobiologists are studying to search for signs of life beyond Earth.

Astrobiology at water-rock interfaces found on icy bodies such as Europa and Enceladus, is the unifying theme of the JPL Icy Worlds team. Several of the icy moons in our Solar System have subsurface oceans that, combined, contain many times the volume of liquid water on Earth.

Multimedia

The Fuel Cell Model of Abiogenesis: A New Approach to Origin-of-Life Simulations

link here

Watch the Icy Worlds Team Video Presentations

link here

What can observable surface chemical signatures tell us about the habitability of subsurface oceans?

link here

A Hatchery of Life?

link here

Environmental Scanning Microscopy used to examine catalytic minerals

link here

Electrochemical gradients that form across self-assembling, out-of-equilibrium, inorganic precipitates in chemical gardens.

link here

Principal Investigator Isik Kanik appears in video for publication in JOVE authored by Laurie Barge and Ivria Doloboff

link here

What is life at JPL like for interns of Icy Worlds?

link here

Postdocs + Student Interns

The Icy Worlds team is dedicated to engaging student interns in rigorous and rewarding laboratory research. The internships are offered through the JPL Education Office and are unparalleled opportunities to practice Astrobiology research alongside Research Scientists, Technicians, and Engineers. Click through for stories about current and former Icy Worlds interns as well as Postdoc opportunites.

Postdocs

Students